Mon. July 5, 2021 – just another day to work, until it’s not.

By on July 5th, 2021 in personal, WuFlu

Maybe cooler, but still wet… looks like we got almost an inch yesterday, by my weather station. I didn’t get the back yard grass cut, that’s for sure. The rain kept the heat down, but we did get some breaks in the overcast and rain during the day. I’m hoping we get a few more today. It was 75F when I went to bed, it would be nice to stay out of the 90s.

Spent the 4th working in my office and bedroom, cleaning up stuff and organizing. It’s hard to see what changed, but stuff did. My wife took child one to GS camp, while I stayed home with child two. She listened to music, played Animal Crossing, and played with the puppy. Just a normal day. The rain and the trip to Conroe put any plans we might have had to go to the pool for the 4th on hold.

My wife and I weren’t super excited to party and mingle anyway. In the morning my wife got word that her aunt had died, suddenly and unexpectedly. She came in from a walk, sat down on the couch, and died. Her husband found her shortly after, but it was too late to do anything. She was overweight, but vibrant and energetic with no known issues. Late 60s. I mention it because it will inevitably come up in the next week if my wife heads home to be with family, and because you never know the day, or the hour.

Loss of a job, a serious illness, and death of a spouse are the three most common disasters we face, yet we rarely prep for them. Most of us here are of an age where those things are distressingly common, and becoming more so. Review your plan. If you don’t have one, make one. Make sure someone knows about it. Live your life, pay attention. Revel in what’s good.

Accident, injury, illness, or simple bad luck- none of us knows the appointed hour, and it will probably come sooner than we would like.

Stuff set aside and standing ready can ease the impact of the disaster, if not the hurt, even the most personal ones.

nick

60 Comments and discussion on "Mon. July 5, 2021 – just another day to work, until it’s not."

  1. SFW says:

    I’m curious what others in the city of Houston proper might have experienced last night with respect to fireworks.  We came to the Energy Corridor area several years about after living in an unincorporated area.  The difference between them being that fireworks are illegal in the city limits.  Last night, we spent the early evening at our son’s house outside of the city limits and spent a very typical evening lighting and watching our own and others’ fireworks.  Back into town around 10PM and things were noticeably different from prior years.  Low hanging smoke filled the streets, there was a group of 25+ youth outside an apartment complex setting off fireworks in the street (and a large pile of expended rubble) and large aerial mortars went on until the early morning hours.  There has always been the one-off random individual shooting fireworks, but this year there was wholesale disregard.

    Fireworks/No fireworks – whatever.

    I’m interested in the change in behavior, its causes and the implications.

    Post COVID energy release?
    The aftermath of BLM/defund law enforcement?
    An anomalous observation on my part?

  2. Ray Thompson says:

    Damned if the thing doesn’t work better than my gas-powered beast.

    I have the Ego string trimmer, hedge trimmer, blower and chainsaw. I also have a gas string trimmer. The gas string trimmer only gets used once a year. Just to clear some heavy stuff and because I need to run it once a year. The electric trimmer works great, a single charge does my weekly trimming with power left to blow off the mower.

    The chainsaw cuts as good as my old gas powered saw. The gas powered saw was tossed when the fuel system rotted due to ethanol in the fuel (my mistake). The electric saw has cut down, bucked, and cut into manageable lengths a tree that was 20 feet tall and 6″ in diameter, all on a single charge. Impressive.

    I have four chargers as buying a tool with the charger and battery is about $30.00, a bargain considering the price of the batteries. I currently only have three batteries as one of the batteries would not run the string trimmer more than about 5 minutes. The battery was five years old. Recycled it at Lowes. If a tool runs out of power I just swap in a new battery while the discharged battery recharges.

    I am really eyeing the ZTR mower that is all battery. It would do my yard without issue. Unfortunately I spent $7K on a new commercial ZTR about two years before Ego produced their ZTR mower. Had I known I would have waited until the battery mower was available.

    While the battery is on the charger if the battery is not used for 30 or more days the charger will slowly discharge the battery to 20% of charge and hold the charge at that point. Before the first use in the spring I pull all the batteries and reinstall in the charger to get the batteries back to 100%. Takes about 20 minutes.

    I am sold on battery tools, hand and yard. Impressive stuff. When my gas string trimmer dies it will not get replaced.

  3. brad says:

    @Ray: Good to hear yet another recommendation for the Ego products. It’s really only a question, now, of whether I buy my own or split some of them with the neighbor. For example, it wouldn’t make much sense for both of us to own a snowblower. We get along great, but money is always a delicate subject…we’ll see what he thinks…

  4. MrAtoz says:

    I also have an eGo mower, trimmer, and blower. Recommended.

  5. pecancorner says:

    I chose to buy a gas mower recently, partly because our yard is too big to mow on one charge. I may be the last person in our town who doesn’t use a riding mower, but I enjoy the walk, it is a pleasant task.

    However, I bought an electric (corded) chain saw last year due to the light weight and I am now comfortable enough with it that I want to lift battery ones next time I am in Home Depot to see if I could use one.  I will note the Ego brand and see if it is light weight enough.   It would sure be handy to cut limbs *before* they fall off the trees. I use a hand tree saw which is fine but slow.  Because a tree saw cuts on the pull, I can even use it to cut boards from time to time – I am not strong enough to use a regular hand saw that cuts on the push.   I have an electric corded hedge trimmer, but since our hedges are all near the house, the cord is not a problem with it.

    I have several corded string trimmers, and can’t use any of them. A battery would be nice if it isn’t too heavy. I had to give Paul’s gas one to a son, because I couldn’t hold it up. String trimmers have always given me problems finding affordable replacement string or getting the new string on them properly to get the bump mechanism to work.   The most recent one uses cartridges that end up costing me $20 every time I use it.  Not sure why I have this problem when other people don’t seem bothered by it.   I’m doing something wrong, for sure.

  6. pecancorner says:

    my wife got word that her aunt had died, suddenly and unexpectedly. She came in from a walk, sat down on the couch, and died.

    Nick, condolences to your wife and all of you on her aunt’s passing. We always miss those who go on before us. However, that sounds like a great way to go: live normally right up to the end. That is what I hope for for myself and for all those I love: quick and simple.

  7. JimB says:

    Nick, condolences to your wife and all of you. Going quickly is a blessing for the deceased, but a shock for everyone else.

  8. Alan says:

    “Even in Texas, a state with a fiercely competitive power market and no emissions mandates, scarcely any gas plants are under construction, while solar farms and batteries are growing fast. Companies are considering nearly 88,900 megawatts of solar, 23,860 megawatts of wind and 30,300 megawatts of battery storage capacity in the state, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. By comparison, only 7,900 megawatts of new gas-fired capacity is under consideration.”

    What battery technology would be used to store those 30,300 megawatts?

  9. JimB says:

    Battery tools make sense for frequent and remote use. OTOH, I have some corded and air powered tools that are used infrequently. Some are 50+ years old and still very useful. I will keep them.

    I have one battery powered screwdriver that was given to me by someone who didn’t like it. I tried it out but also didn’t like it. It stays where I see it occasionally, a reminder to choose wisely.

    The guys who built my garage let me try out their tools, mostly drills and drivers. They were impressive and very expensive. I let them try some of my air tools. Both of us were impressed. Neither will be switching soon.

    Cordless and hoseless. That was the dream. We are there, but not for everything.

    Oh, the framers and roofers still use air powered tools. I asked one about gas (butane) powered nailers. He had one, but still prefers dragging a hose.

  10. EdH says:

    I keep two battery drills around, one always with a drill in it sized for a #8 screw, and the other with a #2 Phillips head.  It saves an enormous amount of time swapping bits for 90% of jobs.

  11. EdH says:

    Here in the high desert the illegal fireworks were the heaviest I’ve ever seen. Basically non-stop for two hours, everywhere.

    Partially a post-Covid thing, partially a breakdown of respect for the rule of law, I suspect.

  12. Nick Flandrey says:

    @jimB, Pecancorner, thank you. The shock is the hardest thing right now. The aunt and uncle and cousin are a very close family. The cousin lived in the basement for a couple years when first married (ie didn’t leave the nest) and the aunt and uncle are the kind of couple you always think of and refer to as “Jack and Jill”, always together. The cousin and spouse are who we named as guardians for our kids if something happened to us.

    You always think there will be more time.

    n

  13. Nick Flandrey says:

    Sunny and hot, 91F in the sun, but only 70%RH so humid but not dripping. Some patchy clouds.

    Slept late, went to bed late and couldn’t fall asleep.

    Stuff to do

    n

  14. Alan says:

    String trimmers have always given me problems finding affordable replacement string or getting the new string on them properly to get the bump mechanism to work. The most recent one uses cartridges that end up costing me $20 every time I use it. Not sure why I have this problem when other people don’t seem bothered by it. I’m doing something wrong, for sure.

    Regarding loading the new string properly, I’ve had good experience with the Echo Speed Feed trimmer head:
    https://www.amazon.com/s?k=echo+speed+feed&ref=nb_sb_noss_2&tag=ttgnet-20

  15. Denis says:

     

    Nick, condolences on your loss.

  16. Alan says:

    @nick, condolences to your wife and you and your family on your loss.

    You always think there will be more time.

    This is why we all here (hopefully) extend our prepping to cover life insurance, wills/trusts, POAs, locations of important papers, access to online passwords, etc.

  17. Alan says:

    Oh, the framers and roofers still use air powered tools. I asked one about gas (butane) powered nailers. He had one, but still prefers dragging a hose.

    For my typical DIY use I have a few of the Ryobi battery powered air tools: a finish nailer, a trim nailer and a crown stapler. Thought about regular air tools but in the end decided dealing with a compressor and hose was more than I wanted. Plus I already had a few other Ryobi tools and they all use the same battery system. (Available at Big Orange.)

  18. drwilliams says:

    @Nick

    Condolences to all.

  19. drwilliams says:

    I started thirty years ago with a 7.2v Makita )built-in battery) and a Sears hex-driver. Perfect pair for putting up window treatments in a new house. Bought a 9.6v Makita (removable battery). I still have the Makitas, and I think the 9.6v would do as well as the 18v Dewalt starting with new batteries in both.

    Graduated to 18v Dewalt and have half a dozen tools. The adapter to use the 20v tools sucks dead bunnies through a straw–it discharges the battery if not removed, which is not easy.

    I also have a Bosch battery oscillating tool, and the batteries SDBTAS from day one. It’s ten years old, so maybe new one are better.

    In a year or so I’m going to go 20v brushless, and it may be Dewalt, Milwaukee, or whatever. I’ll have to give a hard read to the then-current tool tests, but things aren’t looking good for DeWalt–I looked at their jobsite fan recently, and their price for the bare tool was about the same as Milwaukee’s price with battery. Suck-n-eggs.

    I’ve used a Bostich coil roofing nailer. With a high-quality flexible 1/4″ air line routed down to the work so you’re not dragging the line up over the edge, I doubt a battery tool has any advantage for me. Pros maybe. I’ve seen them swarm apartment complexes and have 7-8 compressors going at once.

  20. JimB says:

    …decided dealing with a compressor and hose was more than I wanted.

    I bought my first air compressor in the 1970s and still have it. I got a good deal on a larger one recently, but haven’t installed and plumbed it; it also needs a 50A dedicated circuit. It is sized for a blast cabinet, which can use a LOT of air.

    Also bought a small one that is about the same weight as my 9 gallon air tank. Needed that one when we built the new shop, because I didn’t want to move the oldest one around, even though it is “portable,” and has wheels. The little one is incredibly useful for inflating tires, much better than the 12V ones.

    My point is that everyone should consider a source of compressed air. It is incredibly useful. Start small. You can buy a cheap compressor for $40, and I could make a case for that. Instead, get a pancake unit for about $100. All these little ones are incredibly noisy, but they are essential in today’s shop. If those are inadequate, skip over the medium size ones and go two-stage. They are spendy, but most will last and some are quiet. I have done abrasive blasting with a small compressor, but found it slow. Not everyone needs big.

    Oh, and ignore “ratings,” especially air horsepower, or whatever. What counts is Standard Cubic Feet per Minute (SCFM) at 90 or 100 psi. If a compressor doesn’t mention this, only buy it if it is really low priced. Tank volume is less important. My $0.02.

  21. drwilliams says:

    This link:

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/07/we-are-not-afraid-of-any-of-your-terrorist-co-conspirators-mr-reid-we-are-americans/

    contains a transcript from the January 31, 2003 sentencing of shoe bomber Richard Reid.

    I’d like to see a modified form read at sentencing for every masked Anitifa scum that is hunted down and brought to justice after January 2024.

  22. lynn says:

    Wizard Of Id: Putting Your Dragon On A Diet
    https://www.gocomics.com/wizardofid/2021/07/05

    Doesn’t Henry eat all his food severely charred ?

  23. drwilliams says:

    @JimB

    Manufacturer’s are paying attention to noise. This list is outdated as to particular model, but newer ones are available:

    https://www.airtoolsguy.com/quietest-air-compressor-reviews/#Quietest_Air_Compressors_Comparison_Chart

    Just specced a new small compressor for a client. The one that died drowned out conversation and other noise in a 30×30 foot area. The new one is ignorable.

     
    ADDED: California Air Tools CAT-1P1060S
    1-gallon, 1.2CFM@90psi, 56db
    $111

    https://www.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060S-Compressor/dp/B01LYHYHEA

  24. lynn says:

    “Calculated Risks (InCryptid)” by Seanan Lynn McGuire
    https://www.amazon.com/Calculated-Risks-InCryptid-Seanan-McGuire/dp/0756411815/?tag=ttgnet-20

    Book number ten of an eleven book fantasy series. I read the well printed and well bound MMPB published by DAW in 2021. I will purchase and read future books in the series when they are released in MMPB.

    Book nine left our Scooby Gang in an alternate dimension. The alternate Earth is strange world full of huge insects and even bigger spiders. Think Mack truck sized spiders. And some humanoids.

    Sarah took them all to the alternate dimension. She was mind rolled by her fellow cuckoos and did not understand what she was doing. Now Sarah has to get them all back to Earth in their own dimension. Before the huge spiders eat them.

    My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,118 reviews)

    Please note that while the author and I share the same middle and last names, we are not related as far as I know. And I paid for my copy of this book.

  25. paul says:

    The fireworks last night were nice.  When I took the dogs for their bedtime potty walk, some neighbors up toward the paved road had a nice show going on.  The dogs didn’t care.

    Ok, with the trees, I could see the top half.  Still nice.  Then it seemed the rest of the county started.  A constant Quadraphonic  rumble until at least midnight.  Sounded like the boiling mud or lava in a 1950’s dinosaur monster movie.

    It’s been a few years since we have had enough rain for fireworks.

    Today is “just got out of a steamy shower” humid.  A few sprinkles and some thunder.  Not too bad actually.

  26. ITGuy1998 says:

    In Southern CA for the week. We went to Newport yesterday and saw a boat parade for the 4th.

    Today in Thermal at the BMW performance school for the boy’s birthday present – a one day teen driving class. He seems to be having fun, and hopefully learning a few things.

  27. ech says:

    Book number ten of an eleven book fantasy series.

    Almost without exception, I refuse to buy books that cost more on Kindle than in paperback. Scum-sucking, price fixing, a-hole publishers can all DIAF.

     

  28. lynn says:

    I’m curious what others in the city of Houston proper might have experienced last night with respect to fireworks. We came to the Energy Corridor area several years about after living in an unincorporated area. The difference between them being that fireworks are illegal in the city limits. Last night, we spent the early evening at our son’s house outside of the city limits and spent a very typical evening lighting and watching our own and others’ fireworks. Back into town around 10PM and things were noticeably different from prior years. Low hanging smoke filled the streets, there was a group of 25+ youth outside an apartment complex setting off fireworks in the street (and a large pile of expended rubble) and large aerial mortars went on until the early morning hours. There has always been the one-off random individual shooting fireworks, but this year there was wholesale disregard.

    I am fairly sure that the crazy stopped by 1 am here in far west Fort Bend County, also an unincorporated area. I am also fairly sure that it will continue tonight based on prior behavior.

    There was one mortar last night that had concussive force for at least a block. It was very unnerving and made me wonder what my neighbors felt.

    This is normal behavior out here in the sticks.

  29. JimB says:

    @drwilliams, that video is impressive. It’s about time manufacturers started paying attention to noise.

  30. paul says:

    ADDED: California Air Tools CAT-1P1060S 1-gallon, 1.2CFM@90psi, 56db $111

    That looks like a nice machine.

    I have a few compressors.  The noisy one in the boat shed gets the most use.  Plug it in, raise one arm to block an ear with your shoulder and use that hand to block the other ear, turn it on and get away.  Go feed the cats or something.  It’s not just loud but it has a high freq that makes my ears hurt.

    We have for some reason a 220V monster sitting in the EDC’s lean-to shed.  It’s big like the $900 jobbies at Tractor Supply.  I need to figure how to run a air line from there to the boat shed.  About 120 feet.  Maybe half inch PVC?

    My favorite (weirdo, who has a favorite?) compressor is a Campbell-Hausfield that’s about the size of two one gallon paint cans placed end to end.  I bought it for a bit over $100 way back in 1981 from an insert in the Texaco bill.  Even bought the extra hose, complete with a messed up fitting.  The paint sprayer works well.  I’ve never needed to sand blast anything but, options.  I still have the messed-up hose, returning it was way too painful back in the days of signing for everything delivered by UPS, postage was almost what I paid for the hose.

    Oh.  Thunder.  Maybe it will rain more than Buddy pees.  🙂

  31. ITGuy1998 says:

    I have a Kobalt 60 gallon 2 stage compressor. It’s a little loud, but not terribly so. I have it in the closet in the main garage under the stairs. The floor is5 ft above the garage floor. I was just barely able to get it up there using my engine hoist. I ran power to the closet, and airlines out to the main garage and to the work garage, where I can’t even hear it when it’s on.

  32. lynn says:

    “Search And Rescue Continues Following Demolition Of Surfside Condo Building”
    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/demolition-preparations-begin-surfside-condo-building-ahead-tropical-storm-elsa

    “Update (Monday 1410 ET): Rescuers began searching for survivors of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, FLA., after the remaining structure was demolished late Sunday night.
    Three bodies were recovered Monday after search efforts resumed, bringing the death toll to 27. There are still 118 people unaccounted for since part of the condo collapsed on June 24.
    The demolition was planned and ahead of the approaching storm, Elsa.”

  33. MrAtoz says:

    Raining cats & dogs in SA by the airport. Lots of lightning and thunder. All the dogs want snuggle time in my lap: 10# chihuahua, 20# male doxie, 20# female doxie. “I can’t breath” “Hands up, don’t shoot” LOL!

  34. lynn says:

    Oh what will SCOTUS do:

    Texas joins 21 other states asking U.S. Supreme Court for clarity on major gun rights case
    https://justthenews.com/nation/states/texas-joins-seeking-supreme-court-clarity-second-amendment-rights

    Zzzzz

    John Roberts will can it if he can.

    You know, I am beginning to think that everything G. W. Bush touched has turned to shite. Including John Roberts.

  35. drwilliams says:

    @JimB

    @Paul

    My first choice was a Makita MAC210Q Quiet Series for $199, but at $111 the CAT was too tempting. We read the reviews and checked the tank for welding residue–none. The CFM requirement for the application is such that it only runs for two minutes out of ten.The machine it serves is not always in use, but is located so that running building air or a temporary line is not feasible.

  36. Ray Thompson says:

    There are still 118 people unaccounted for since part of the condo collapsed on June 24.

    In spite of the idiot reporters saying there is still hope, there is none. No one will be found alive in that rubble. A week+ without water, dead. Crushed under tons of concrete, dead. Yeh, I sound uncaring. People need to be realistic.

  37. Nightraker says:

    In spite of the idiot reporters saying there is still hope, there is none

    Oh, you’re quite right. There is only a lottery ticket’s chance that the concrete fall created a hollow around someone with some toilet tank’s dregs of water. Dropping the rest of the building don’t increase odds.

  38. ~jim says:

    There are still 118 people unaccounted for since part of the condo collapsed on June 24.

    What I want to know is, Where are the bodies? Even bits and pieces of 118 people ought to have been found by now. Curious…

  39. drwilliams says:

    ~Jim

    28 recovered so far.

    https://www.komu.com/news/nationworld/death-toll-in-surfside-condo-building-collapse-rises-to-28/article_51adf8b0-b6c8-5bec-8916-c7f73042ad7d.html

    “Miami Beach alone had 507 buildings subject to the 40-year recertification regulation, and the city “went through all of them within a week,” starting the day after Champlain Towers South collapsed, Mayor Dan Gelber told CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Monday. None had structural issues, he said.”

    I wonder what the original inspection schedule was.

  40. Alan says:

    There was one mortar last night that had concussive force for at least a block. It was very unnerving and made me wonder what my neighbors felt.

    @lynn, can something that big be bought at one of the roadside stands/storefronts or are these in ‘roll your own’ territory?

  41. Nick Flandrey says:

    Thanks to everyone for you condolences, it does help.

    WRT compressors, NOT PVC PIPE!!! The forums are full of doom and gloom, basically there is risk of explosive shattering with pvc. I worked in a shop plumbed with it, and we didn’t break any but, you could.

    n

  42. Nick Flandrey says:

    watching herbie the luv bug, reloaded with the little one.

    n

  43. Greg Norton says:

    I wonder what the original inspection schedule was.

    In a word: mañana.

    Miami. Not much ever changes.

    The added twist in the last decade is everyone in denial about maintenance until they land the tenbagger sale price and make it someone else’s problem.

    Still in South Texas. Hotel WiFi turned to garbage last night, and it seems a lot more serious than too much Netflix streaming for kids. Everybody takes off in telecom this week so I doubt the problem will get resolved before we leave.

  44. Alan says:

    WRT compressors, NOT PVC PIPE!!! The forums are full of doom and gloom, basically there is risk of explosive shattering with pvc. I worked in a shop plumbed with it, and we didn’t break any but, you could.

    My can of Oatey PVC cement says (in all caps) “DO NOT TEST WITH AIR”.

  45. drwilliams says:

    If I had to run compressed air 140′ between buildings, I’d use this:

    https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200484023_200484023

    Tubing is 100′ or 300″. Kits in both.

  46. ITGuy1998 says:

    I used this ( 3/4” ) for my compressed air plumbing:https://www.rapidairproducts.com/maxline

  47. Bob+Sprowl says:

    I have used schedule 80 PVC for years.  No problems yet.

  48. drwilliams says:

    Their calculator shows 100psi delivers 15cfm over 200′ in 1/2″ID, which is enough to run most tools.

    Less spendy than the 3/4″, and there’s a seller on eBay that has the 1/2″ kit on sale for $89 ($40 off retail).

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    I prefer electric tools to air tools for almost everything, ‘cuz I’m not a car guy. That said, air nailers and staple guns are the only way to go for quick construction. Even running in structural screws with impact guns takes far longer. Although I will use screws in 2x lumber when it’s appropriate.

    The scenery construction technique I was taught in LA requires staples, and a certain Senco gun, to be efficient.

    There are actually advantages to nails over screws for structural framing.

    I have a craftsman compressor that I drag out when I need a lot of air. I have a Porter Cable pancake one for around the house, and I have a small one, designed for some kind of air conditioning use, for small tasks. It has a 1 gallon tank and only gets to 40psig, but it’s quiet and inflates things just fine.

    I had a gasoline powered compressor that I ran for years at an old shop without any other air. The carb would shake loose, leak fuel out on the motor, and catch on fire if you weren’t careful. Only had actual fire once or twice. Made me money, and paid for itself many times over before I sold it.

    My 9.6v makita screw gun was the first “real” tool I bought myself, and it paid for itself many times over. I use dewalt for everything now, 20v li ion with an adapter for the 18v legacy tools. It’s hard to remove the adapter from the tool, but easy to remove the 20v battery from the adapter 🙂 to prevent the battery draining…

    My metal cutting chopsaw and my little Hobart Handler 120 mig welder have made me a lot of money over the years, along with the 4 1/2″ angle grinders. I’ve got a Millermatic 250 but I leave it set up with a spool gun for aluminum welding, and use the little hobart for steel. Haven’t used either in years though. Haven’t had the time or the space.

    n

    added- never plumbed in air in my own spaces, just ran hoses.

  50. Nick Flandrey says:

    WRT fireworks, I took the little one out front and we shot 5 bottle rockets, and lit off about 6 or 8 packs of firecrackers. I still have some crackers, but that was it for bottle rockets. Still burning my dad’s stash from a few decades ago, our last family camping trip to WDW. We always stopped at a big warehouse on our way down to Fla. and bought the year’s fireworks. Dad loved the Black Cat fire crackers.

    Little one was excited and overjoyed to be breaking the law and making noise.

    There were other neighbors doing stuff in their back yards, but it sounded way down from previous years. The supply might have been down, or people didn’t make the trip out of county to buy them… or maybe they don’t have enough money for the big stuff this year.

    I did hear what sounded exactly like a full auto mag dump in the not too far distance. And there were times throughout the night that had the cadence of gunshots and not fireworks, but it did seem to be a lot less than before.

    n

  51. lynn says:

    There was one mortar last night that had concussive force for at least a block. It was very unnerving and made me wonder what my neighbors felt.

    @lynn, can something that big be bought at one of the roadside stands/storefronts or are these in ‘roll your own’ territory?

    Short answer, no. Long answer, there is a specialty fireworks manufacturer in Katy, Texas where my son buys his stuff. They will roll anything you want if you can prove that you know what you are doing. My son did EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) for a while in Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children in Iraq. He loved the .50 cal and C4. And thermite grenades. If he had stayed in, they were going to send him to the EOD school in Florida.

  52. lynn says:

    WRT compressors, NOT PVC PIPE!!! The forums are full of doom and gloom, basically there is risk of explosive shattering with pvc. I worked in a shop plumbed with it, and we didn’t break any but, you could.

    The compressed air pipe ring in my warehouse is one inch copper with an 230 volt 80 gallon two stage air compressor. Stands about five foot tall. The landscaping guys love it, it takes them no time at all to refill their truck, trailer, tractor, and mower tires. The system was there when I bought the office complex in 2011.

  53. lynn says:

    Book number ten of an eleven book fantasy series.

    Almost without exception, I refuse to buy books that cost more on Kindle than in paperback. Scum-sucking, price fixing, a-hole publishers can all DIAF.

    What is DIAF ?

    We had a combined birthday for the son and me tonight. I turned 61 last week, he turned 38. I gave him the rest of the Pip and Flinx books except the three that I gave him for last Christmas. I also gave him Stirlings’s three Nantucket books (Island in the Sea Of Time). The wife made us an iced banana cake. I am about to die of carbs overintake.

    He also helped me to install an under cabinet LED lightstrip to replace the old CFL light strip. Good times, good times !

  54. lynn says:

    “California Driver Ticketed for Hood-Mounted (Starlink?) Satellite Dish”
    https://www.pcmag.com/news/california-driver-ticketed-for-hood-mounted-starlink-satellite-dish

    “‘These are the real stories of the Highway Patrol.'”

    Why ?

    Yes, there are pictures.

  55. JimB says:

    That Rapid Air kit looks like it uses Alupex tubing. I have a friend who swears by Alupex for many uses including air. I think that is what I will use for my shop. I used soldered copper tubing in my old shop. It is nice, and I used to think it was easy to work with, but not compared to the newer stuff. Copper lasts a long time underground here, and in most places.

    I agree that I would never use PVC, with one exception: buried. If it suffers a rapid disintegration, it is contained. It also lasts a very long time underground. I have wondered what oil does to it. I am debating whether to use an oil separator in my new setup.

    Some people think Pex is not suitable for open runs. I don’t really know. Right now, I am back to using hoses. I tried a polyurethane 1/4″ hose, and don’t like it. It retains its coiled shape, and is unwieldy. I even left it under tension for a couple weeks, but it retained most of its coiled shape. I really like rubber; it lies flat, lasts quite a while, and is rugged. Also nice in cold weather.

    I do want to eventually switch to push-on hose for tool hoses. For those not acquainted, it has cord angles that cause its diameter to shrink under pressure. It is used with special fittings. No clamps are needed. When it wears, simply slit it and cut off an inch or so. It can be expensive.

  56. lynn says:

    There are still 118 people unaccounted for since part of the condo collapsed on June 24.

    What I want to know is, Where are the bodies? Even bits and pieces of 118 people ought to have been found by now. Curious…

    I think that there are still several pancaked floor slabs to be removed. All those poor people on the lower stories.

  57. Nick Flandrey says:

    DIAF — die in a fire?

    n

  58. BillF says:

    Regarding the “Daynotes” discussion the other day: I found that site via Chaos Manor and followed several of those blogs often back then (including, of course, our late host).  John Dominik was one, in part, because we lived in the same general area (Twin cities of MN) back then.  He has been dark for many years – does anyone know of any recent info regarding him?  I had several email discussions with him back in the day and and have been wondering about his status…

  59. CowboySlim says:

    @ ITGuy1998,

    I’m one town up from Newport Beach, in Huntington Beach.  If you are coming back this way, let me know.

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